Thomas a



(No Model.)

T. A. EDISON.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION. 7

No. 379,772. Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

WITNESSES INVENTOR YZW Q ATTORNEY n cgmpller. Wnhinglcm o c shunt-circuit from the main circuit.

IINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF MENLO PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DlSTRlBUTlON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,772, dated Idareh 20, 1888.

Application filed August 7,1882. Serial No. 68,639.

(No model.) Patented in England August 5, 188-1170. 3,752; in Italy November 14,1882, No. 14,758; in Belgium November 15, 1&2, No. 59,457; in France December 13, 1882, No. 151,279; in Spain April 4, 1583, No. 3,737, and in Germany July 20, 1883, No. 23,270.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, o Menlo Park, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Systems of Electrical Distribution, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 3,752, August 5, 1882; Italy, No. 14.758, November 14,, 1882; Belgium, No. 59,457, November 15, 1882; France, No. 151,279, December13, 1882; Spain, No. 3,737, April 4, 1883, and Germany, No. 23,270, July 26, 1883;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descrip tion of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

a The object I have in view is to produce effi cient and economical means for dividing an electriccurrent of high electro-motive force or tension into a number of currents of lower electro-motive force or tension, and for making all the translating devices operated by the currents of lower tension independent of each other. Such an arrangement makes a great saving in conductors, since a high-tension current can be used from the point of generation to near the point of consumption,and the translating devices can be made independent by a multiple-arc arrangement. It is the especial design of the peculiar means employed by me to accomplish this subdivision of an electric current, to reduce to the minimum the loss of power occasioned thereby.

The main object is accomplished by throwing into the main circuit, at a number of points, acounterelectro-motive force,which causes between certain points a definite drop in the tension of the main circuit. From these points are run pairs of conductors, and the translating devices-such as lamps or motorsare located in multiple-arc circuits from these auxiliary conductors. Each pair of auxiliary conductors, with its translating devices, forms a Electric motors may be used for producing the counter electro-motive force; but economy is best secured bywmeans of secondary batteries, which can be used to supply the translating devices for a time after being fully charged.

In theaccompanying drawing,forming apart 5o hereof, an arrangement embodying the invention is shown diagrammatically.

A is a dynamo or magneto electric machine, from the commutator-brushes a I) of which run the conductors of the main circuit 1 2. The 5 field-circuit 3 at of the machine A is a multiplearc circuit from 1 2, and the machine is regulated in any of the known ways, preferably by shifting the commutator-brushes or by varying primarily the current flowing through the 60.

field-circuit. This machine has a high electromotive force. For purposes of illustration, this may be considered as three hundred volts.

A number of these machines may be arranged in multiple are, or machines having a lower electro-motive force may be arranged in series or multiple series to produce a current of high tension.

B O D represent the means forthrowing counter electro-motive force into the circuit 1 7o 2, which means may be secondary batteries, electric motors, or other devices. To the main circuit, on opposite sides of B G D, are connected the conductors 5. and 6, 7 and 8, and 9 and 10 of shunt-circuits, in multiple-arc circuits from which conductors are located the lamps, motors, or other translating devices E. The counter electromotive force of each device B G D is approximately one hundred volts, and there is approximately a drop of one hundred volts between the points where 5 and 6 are connected with 1 2, as well as between the connections of 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 with 1 and 2. This causes a current to How through each shuntcircuit having a tension approximately of one hundred volts. The making or breaking of the circuit of any translating device does not affect other translating devices in the same shunt circuit or those in the other shunt-circults. To secure the greatest economy, sec- 0 ondary batteries are used to give the necessary counter eleetro-motive force. B O D represent such secondary batteries. After the secondary batteries are fully charged, the main circuit between the same and the machine A may be broken, when the secondary batteries will discharge through the shunt-circuits supplying the translating devices.

By arranging the devices B O D, whether secondary batteries or not, to give counter electro-n1otive force of different degrees of intensity, or of different volts, currents varying in tension can be produced in the shunt-circuits, and circuits can be provided for half as well as whole lights, or this can be done by dividing the current in one or more of the shunts on the same principle that is employed to divide the current in the main circuit. A simple shunt circuit of low resistance (shown at the device 13) may. be arranged around each of the devices B G D, by closing which and breaking the circuit of the secondary battery the translating devices in the shunt around the secondary battery will be cut oli'from the source of supply. In that case it is necessary to reduce the electro-motive l'orce at the source of supply, which can be readily done by adjusting the machine or machines.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. The method of dividing an electric current, consisting in throwing counter electromotive force into a main circuit at two or more points, and providing shnntcircuits around the sourcesofsuch counterelectro-molive force, through which shunt-circuits currents oflower tension flow, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of one or more dynamo or magneto electric machines supplying a current of high tension in a main circuit, with means for th rowing counter eleetro-motive force into such main circuit at two or more points, slmnt-circuits around the sources of such counter electro-motive force, and translatin devices connected in multiple are in such shunt-circuits, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a main circuit having a current of high tension, of two or more secondary batteries arranged in series insnch main circuit and shunts around such secondary batteries containing translating devices, such as electric lamps or motors, whereby a division of the current in the main circuit is socured, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with one or more dynamo or magneto electric machines supplying a current of high tension in a main circuit, of

two or more secondary batteries arranged in seriesin such main circuit, shunt-circuits around such secondary batteries, and translating devices connected in multiple arc in such shuntcireuits, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22d day of May, 1882.

THOMAS A. EDISON.

Witnesses:

Bow. 0. ROWLAND, O. P. More 

